Device for securing the flaps of boots or shoes.



A. BOWDISH.

DEVICE PoR SBGURING THB PLAPS 0F BOOTS 0R SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 22, 1912A Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON. LL c.

srafrgnsra'rnnr ernten i ALBERTIS BOWDISI-I, OFiPLYIVIOUTI-I, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR SEGUE-ING THE FLAPS F BOOTS OB. SHOES.

Application ledOctober 22, 1912. Serial No. 727,189.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERTIS BowDIsH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plymouth, in the county of Chenango and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Securing the Flaps of Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to boots and shoes and has for an object to provide a device for securing the flaps of the boot o-r shoe in closed position over the usual tongue thereof.

The invention embodies, among other features, the usual lace which is connected to the body of the boot or shoe and then interlaced with the flaps thereof by passing the lace over a series of pulleys arranged on the liaps, suitable clutch members being provided to secure the lace and hold the flaps in relatively closed position over the tongue of the boot or shoe.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specilication, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of the boot showing my device applied thereto, parts being broken away to disclose the underlying structure; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vert-ical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 4, and showing the securing member for the lace; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3, showing in detail the construction of the clutch member; and Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 in Fig. 4 and showing the relative arrangement of the pulleys and securing member of the clutch member.

Referring more particularly to the views, use is made of a main pulley 10 mounted to rotate on a boot 11 adjacent the inner end of the usual tongue 12 thereof, a series of auxiliary pulleys 13 being mounted to turn on the usual extension iaps 14 of the boot 11, t-he said auxiliary pulleys being arranged in pairs as shown, with a suitable lace 15, constituting a tongue member, passed over the main pulley 10 and over the auxiliary pulleys 13 in a zigzag manner as shown in Fig. 1, so that when a pull is exerted on the free ends of the lace the flaps 14 will be drawn together over the tongue 12 of the boot.

At the upper ends of the flaps 14 clutch members 16 are mounted, the said clutch members each consisting of a single piece of material "bent to form a st-irrup 17 secured to the liap by a suitable eyelet 418, a spring-like plate 19 being secured between the ends of the stirrup 17 and lying within the plane of the stirrup to form compartments 20, 21 in which are journaled pulleys 22, 23.

Mounted to swing on the stirrup 17 by passing a pin 24 through the side of the stirrup is a securing member 25 provided at one end thereof with an integral tooth 26 and at t-he other end thereof terminating in a handle 27, the said securing member being adapted to engage an end of the lace to secure the same in position to retain the liaps 14fofthe boot in relatively closed position over t-he tongue 12 thereof. A notch 28 is formed in thev plate 19 andis adapted to receive therein a projecting locking mem- .ber 29, similar to a bead, and struck from or formed with the handle end 27 of the securing member 25 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Now referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that after the lace 15 has been passed over the main pulley 10 and auxiliary pulleys 13 in the manner mentioned heretofore, an end 30 of the lace is passed over the inner pulley 22 of the clutch member on one of the flaps 14 and is then passed downwardly and around the pulley 23 of the clutch member on the other flap of the boot, the lace being then gripped and held in lowered position by the securing member 25 of the last mentioned clutch member as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, with the free end of the lace adapted to depend, as disclosed in Fig. 1. The other end 31 of the'lace is then passed over the inner pulley 22 of the last mentioned clutch member and is then passed downwardly and over the pulley 23 cf the clutch member on the other flap of the boot, the said end 31 of the lace being then gripped by the securing member 25 of the said clutch member, as shown in Fig. 4, with the free end 31 of the lace arranged to depend as shown in Fig. 1. It will now be seen that the lace 15, after being drawn to bring the flaps 14 of the boot into closed relation over the tongue 12, is secured in tightened or laced position by the securing members 25 of the clutch members and the securing members are retained in locked position on the clutch members by swinging the same thereon so that the stop members 29 of the securing members 25 will spring into the notches 28 in the plates 19, it being understood that the said plates 19 are formed of a spring-like material so that when the stop members 29 engage in the notches 28 thereof, the said securing members 25 will be retained in locked i position, with the teeth 26 thereof gripping into the particular end of the lace which is passed over the pulleys arranged adjacent to the securing members on the clutch -members secured to the upper ends of the flaps 14.

Although I have described my device as used in connection with boots and shoes it will be understood that the same may be members and adapted to receive the ends of the lace after the same have been passed over the first mentioned pulleys of the clutch members, and securing members mounted to swing on the said clutch members to lock the ends of the lace in laced position and rigid relatively to the said clutch pulleys.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a boot, of clutch members secured to the boot, a lace for the boot, pulleys journaled on the clutch members and adapted to receive the ends of t-he lace therethrough, clutch pulleys on the said clutch members and adapted to receive the ends of the lace after the same have been passed over the Iirst mentioned pulleys of the clutch members, securing members mounted to swing on the said clutch members to lock the ends of the lace in laced position and rigid relatively to the clutch pulleys, a spring-like plate on each of the clutch members, and means for locking the securing members to the plates of the clutch members.

In testimony whereof I.ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERTIS BOVDISH. Witnesses:

MAURICE F. FORD. JAMES P. HILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

